BOSTON -- Jose Bautista made his return to the Blue Jays' lineup on Monday night following a five-game absence with a strained right shoulder.
Bautista was considered questionable going into the day, but he passed a series of tests and was eventually approved to start as the designated hitter. The afternoon began with hitting in a cage, and he progressed to batting practice on the field.
That caused a delay in the Blue Jays announcing their starting lineup, but approximately one hour prior to first pitch, Bautista gave the thumbs-up to manager John Gibbons.
"It feels OK, obviously not anywhere close to 100 percent.